Iowa City Council candidates on how to address affordable housing needs

IOWA CITY — The Iowa City Council has identified affordable housing as a top need in the community, and has both directly invested in housing stock, as well as partnered with nonprofit agencies.

The council also voted to put a 1 percent local-option sales tax to voters. If passed, a portion of the revenue raised through the tax would be directed to affordable housing projects.

In addition to deciding on a local-option sales tax in next month’s election, voters will choose three Iowa City Council members: two at-large seats and a representative of District B, which includes the east side of Iowa City. Each seat is a four-year term that expires in 2030.

In Iowa City, the mayor is elected by council members every two years, when a new council meets at the beginning of the calendar year.

With Election Day fast approaching, The Gazette asked candidates to complete a questionnaire about their priorities if elected. Read the full candidate answers online at thegazette.com/2025-city-council-candidates.

Here’s more about what the council candidates had to say on how to address affordable housing needs:

At-Large council seats

  Buy Photo

At-large incumbent Megan Alter is seeking re-election for her second term on council. In her responses Alter emphasized the need for collaboration and continuing city efforts to address housing needs.

“Affordable housing is perhaps the single greatest need here in Iowa City and that covers the gamut, from the unhoused to first time homeowners to families. City Council's role is, quite simply, to address these needs in multiple ways by working with partners. At no point has any government been the sole answer,” Alter wrote.

Alter pointed to the council’s existing partnerships with the Housing Trust Fund, DVIP and Shelter House as well as the city’s plans to become a housing developer using federal grant funds.

  Buy Photo

City council hopeful Clara Reynen is a graduate student at the University of Iowa and a librarian. Reynen has described her campaign as being guided by the principles of “access, equity, intellectual freedom and privacy, public good, and sustainability,” similar to her work as a librarian.

“I believe that housing is a human right and as such it is the responsibility of government entities to prioritize making sure people have dignified living conditions. On city council, I plan to prioritize building a range of permanent supportive housing options to provide adequate opportunities to end homelessness in Iowa City. Additionally, public housing and housing priced to support the “missing middle” are approaches to affordable housing I am in favor of,“ wrote Reynen.

  Buy Photo

Mayor Bruce Teague, who has served in his role on the council since 2018, and as mayor since 2020, is seeking re-election.

Teague has made affordable housing a campaign priority, stressing the importance of collaboration and using any and all strategies — such as land banking, tax increment financing and federal funds — to address community need.

“Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to live, including our unhoused neighbors. We must continue to work with our housing coalition partners, developers, landlords, builders, labor, banking, and our vocational training programs to find more ways to increase the supply of affordable housing and develop more innovative ways to provide shelter for all. During my time on council, we have worked to attract and deploy capital to affordable housing projects, but so much more work needs to be done,” wrote Teague.

Council candidate Newman Abuissa did not fill out The Gazette’s candidate questionnaire.

District B

  Buy Photo

District B incumbent Shawn Harmsen is seeking re-election for his second term on the council.

Harmsen emphasized continuing the work the city is doing on affordable housing, including support for direct assistance programs, evaluating zoning codes and working with community partners.

“We are continuing the steady long-term efforts to use all the tools in our toolbox, literally from A to Z (Affordable Housing Units subsidized by the city all the way to Zoning to promote affordable and all other kinds of housing in mixed neighborhoods) … The city is doing just that, using resources to create long term plans to move the city into being more and more of a developer of affordable housing stock. We already do some of that, sometimes with our nonprofit partners, but we want to do more,” wrote Harmsen.

  Buy Photo

District B challenger Amy Hospodarsky is seeking her first term on city council and as an elected official.

“As a Council member, I would prioritize actions that make housing more attainable and inclusive. This includes supporting zoning reforms and policies that allow for a wider variety of housing types, incentivizing mixed-income developments, and protecting long-term residents from displacement as our city grows. I would also ensure the city is accountable to its Affordable Housing Action Plan, tracking progress, reporting metrics publicly, and engaging the community in decision-making so that solutions reflect real needs,” wrote Hospodarsky.

Hospodarksy also wrote about the importance aligning “resources, policy and accountability” to ensure there is proper housing support for residents.

Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com

Get a weekly roundup of Johnson County news by signing up for my Johnson County Update newsletter.